Re: Are you having trouble with AvidDVD re-encoding DVD compliant MPG2 files?

Small projects worked for me too but when I tried full production using the settings recommended from Sorenson, I got errors, I noticed that your clips, as the ones I have succeded linking out myself, also are small ones, have you tried this with 1 hour plus projects and maybe also animated buttons.

Re: Are you having trouble with AvidDVD re-encoding DVD compliant MPG2 files?

Douglas, thanks for your hardwork, and I just realised that my email in my profile(I hardly visit it so need to change it)

Well about the issue, I dont think it is related to the Avid dvd version because I believe I have had this issue for years, and believe your test has shown that either AvidDVD is being hijack by some other software or looking at compliance files from other encoders are "foreign" eventhough it allows it to be imported.

So the thing is, when a compliance dvd file(created by sorenson,procoder and the rest) is coming in(import), avidDVD opens the door and welcomes it, gives it water and food, BUT as it is about to leave the building(burn), AvidDVD says wait a second, I should not have allow you to enter so before I let you go, I need to frisk(transcode again)

Another point could be that when an encoded file from squeeze and the rest come in, and you change the project settings transcoding(SD) (VBR & CBR) to fit on the 4.7GB, and it does not match exactly as the one from the squeeze file, AvidDVD thinks due to these new settings transcoding is required

drbgaijin:

Some snippets of news on the AvidDVD by Sonic and the Sonic DVDitProHD front.

From Sonic Solutions Support: The transcoding , building movies etc. functions in the latest Avid DVD 6.1.1 (Build: 643B12A) and the latest DVDitProHD 6.4.2 )Build: 643B02B) are exactly the same.

My request for information about version numbers ended up with only 2 responses.Of those only 1 person was in direct contact with me.Our conversations resulted in some interesting fact exchanges.Nothing however that could be called ground breaking.It did give me an angle on the whole question of DVD/Blu-Ray authoring that I hadn't thought about before.

Basically there are 2 very different types of approaches.Approach 1 is where the user just wants to get his/her edited material out onto a DVD/Blu-Ray as quickly and simply as possible.Approach 2 is where the user is actually going to "author" his/her material after editing it in MC.Either approach can run into completely different problems, depending on the environment AvidDVD is working in and the workflow chosen.Touviere7 was mainly working along the lines of approach 1, whereas I work more along the lines of approach 2.What I feel is a correct workflow is not necessarily the workflow that Touviere7 would want to follow.

Last weekend I did extensive testing of AvidDVD.By extensive I mean I spent most of my 48 hours importing/authoring/burning both DVD and Blu-Ray media.I did simple authoring, I did more complex authoring.

I did NOT have any hang ups, crashes, error notifications etc. etc. of any kind.I mean NONE!

So what environment do I run AvidDVD under?

On a new install of Windows 7 64bit Professional I have the following applications installed.

Printer drivers for a Brother Postscript printerDrivers for a Buffalo Blu-Ray Burner and a Pioneer DVD/CD burner

All the bit and pieces that are installed with the Windows install.

That is all! Nothing else.No Squeeze, no Procoder, no Adobe Suite etc. etc.

Avid DVD works in this environment without issues.

How do I do if I need Photoshop etc?I have a completely separate exchangeable boot drive that boots up with all my other applications.I have share the Avid Media Drive and a couple of other Data harddrives between all systems.So I can access QT reference files regardless of what drive I have in.

It takes a few minutes to close, change the drives and then reboot.But it only take a matter of minutes.My life is lived at a reasonable pace, so a few minutes here or there is not an issue to me.

I did run into 1 problem when I tried to repeat some of my tests on a completely different system.It was a Windows XP Pro 32 bit system.AvidDVD was installed.So was Adobe Suite CS4Camtasia stuffProcoder 3Microsoft Office 2010Nero Burning ROMFirefoxInternet ExplorerThumb Plusand countless other applications.

When I went to Build a movie, Avid DVD froze as it started Building Movies.

I was able to check vie the Task manager.CPUs were stuck at 100%The application that was running and causing this was PNXKERNL.exe.PNXKERNL.exe is the queue or batch manager included in Canopus Procoder.It has a history of causing problems by activating itself when not wanted.I deactivated it and tried the burn in AvidDVD again.It worked correctly without any further freezes or errors.

This would support my claim (and Tomas's) that you have to be very careful as to what codecs you allow onto your machines.

I would strongly suggest that if you are using AvidDVD, you don't want to have anything installed that sounds like Matroska, K-lite, CCCP etc. etc.If you have a need for any of the codecs included in those packs you really should have them on a separate system far away from MC and AvidDVD.

Finally, due to the lack of response from users and the fact that Sonic Solutions were a bit disappointed that I was unable to provide any information from those having problems as to the version and build numbers they were having problems with. We have decided to let the matter drop, and leave it up to everyone to contact the correct support team - which is the Avid one.Sorry about that, but I also felt that I was jeopardising my own good contact with Sonic Support by pressing for help from them on a matter which they really didn't have to take up at all.I hope you all understand my situation.

Re: Are you having trouble with AvidDVD re-encoding DVD compliant MPG2 files?

Douglas, thanks for your hardwork, and I just realised that my email in my profile(I hardly visit it so need to change it)

Sorry to hear that you missed the PM. I think you can set something in your profile so that you get an email notification when someone has sent you a PM.

hagi:

Another point could be that when an encoded file from squeeze and the rest come in, and you change the project settings transcoding(SD) (VBR & CBR) to fit on the 4.7GB, and it does not match exactly as the one from the squeeze file, AvidDVD thinks due to these new settings transcoding is required

This is also very true indeed.A compliant file must be compliant 100%.Sonic have always kept strictly to the rules and regulations set down by the DVD and Blu-Ray standards groups (Can't remember their correct names just now)

hagi:

and believe your test has shown that either AvidDVD is being hijack by some other software or looking at compliance files from other encoders are "foreign" eventhough it allows it to be imported.

Re: Are you having trouble with AvidDVD re-encoding DVD compliant MPG2 files?

In my testing at the weekend I was using QT-reference files out of MC.The files were, as expected, transcoded in AvidDVD.But they were being transcoded by AvidDVD's own engine.I had no stray codecs running around that could hijack AvidDVD.

Normally I use Sonic Cinevision to encode, as it gives so much extra control over the parameters.One strong point with Cinevision is that it will not begin encoding a file until all parameters are set correctly to give a 100% compliant file.

But I would not suggest that anyone just wanting to get their sequences out onto a DVD or Blu-Ray should invest in such a specialised application.

Re: Are you having trouble with AvidDVD re-encoding DVD compliant MPG2 files?

Recently I made a master-dvd for 200 copies of a show for 124 minutes. This went through Avid dvd (v5.7 631B11A & v6.1.1 643B12A) succesfully. Just one dvd came back, although it seemed to play on another dvd-player fine.

Re: Are you having trouble with AvidDVD re-encoding DVD compliant MPG2 files?

There seems to have been some action at Sonic Solutions concerning the troubles mentioned in this and other similar threads.

Hopefully it will result in some positive news for AvidDVD users in the near future.

Be patient!

Regards,Douglas

Added an hour later:

I may have misunderstood the message I got from Sonic Solutions. It is a little ambiguous.It can also be read as - the issues are fixed in 6.1.1 and now the fixes will be updated in DvditProHD to bring it into line with AvidDVD 6.1.1!We will all just have to wait and see which interpretation is the correct one.But, at least, it shows that Sonic are still very active developing their product.Sorry

Re: Are you having trouble with AvidDVD re-encoding DVD compliant MPG2 files?

I may have misunderstood the message I got from Sonic Solutions. It is a little ambiguous.It can also be read as - the issues are fixed in 6.1.1 and now the fixes will be updated in DvditProHD to bring it into line with AvidDVD 6.1.1!

i asked a friend for a second opinion about the interpretation of Sonic's PM to me.they also read it as AvidDVD 6.1.1 had already the fixes included.

So if any of you were having problems with earlier versions of AvidDVD, I would suggest that you visit the Avid Download Centre and download and install version 6.1.1, before continuing with AvidDVD.Hopefully it will help fix some of your problems.

If I shorten the file (i.e. smaller portion of the source file encoded with exact same encoding parameters), it imports without causing video transcoding on both computers/AvidDVD versions. This would tend to exclude the codec "hijacking" option, right ?

Additional info: TMPGEnc Video Mastering Works 5.0.6.38 is installed on both system, excluding any codec interference between the two programs. Of course, there are many differences between the two computers, e.g. only the laptop (where the unexpected transcoding occurs) has Nero Burning ROM 10 installed etc...

One more note: the MPEG-2 file imports happily without causing transcoding in...Sonic MyDVD 5.2.3...old, low-end version that came bundled with my first DVD burner years ago (and being also quite picky about MPEG compliance like later versions of Sonic authoring software)...

Are other people here still seeing unexpected transcoding issues with AvidDVD 6.1.1 ?

If I shorten the file (i.e. smaller portion of the source file encoded with exact same encoding parameters), it imports without causing video transcoding on both computers/AvidDVD versions. This would tend to exclude the codec "hijacking" option, right ?

Yes, I am seeing the exact same thing and have reverted back to 6,1 on one of my boots cause of this, even my Bitvice encoded files are becoming reencoded by 6,1,1.

Bug or what to call it, the latest version, 6,1,1 doesn´t handle preencoded files good at all when it comes to DVD creations, forcing users to use only the built in encoder for creating DVD projects.

So what you are seeing is very correct, I have seen it from the very start of 6.1.1